The Doula Model in American Health Care in the 21st Century: A Narrative Literature Review.

The doula model has been used in American health care for the past 50 years. The model dates back to biblical times-a woman who serves-the model that has passed the test of time. American women sought to improve the birthing experience in the mid-70s, and the doula model used in England was incorporated into American obstetrical care to respond to this need.

An Innovative Role for Faith Community Nursing: Palliative Care Ministry.

Although the specialty of palliative nursing and palliative care continues to grow in hospital and outpatient settings, a paucity of home-based palliative services remains. This article discusses a new paradigm of faith-based palliative care ministry using faith community nurses (FCNs). Under the leadership of a palliative care doula (a nurse expert in palliative care), nurses in the faith community can offer critical support to those with serious illness.

Palliative Care Doula: an innovative model.

Walking the journey of serious illness is very difficult and stressful for patients and families. A universal principle of palliative care is caring for the patient/ family unit. This article introduces a model for the Palliative Care Doula for experienced and advanced practice palliative care nurses to support patients and families during the traumatic and vulnerable period of end-of-life care.

The national agenda for quality palliative care: the National Consensus Project and the National Quality Forum.

The release in 2007 of the National Quality Forum (NQF) preferred practices is a significant advance in the field of palliative care. These NQF preferred practices build on the clinical practice guidelines for palliative care developed by the National Consensus Project (NCP). The NQF is dedicated to improving the quality of American health care, and their focus on palliative care recognizes its growing place within the broader scope of health care.

Infusion nurses' role in care at the end of life.

End-of-life care has received focused attention over the past two decades in the United States. Although end-of-life care has greatly improved, considerable work remains to ensure that all Americans who are dying receive high-quality care. This important work cannot be delegated to one specialty area, but is the responsibility of all specialty nurses interacting with individuals who have life-limiting illnesses.